July Blog 2008 - Archives
July 30, 2008
Luke 6:35
But love your enemies and be kind and do good and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return... and then your recompense will be great and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked.
God is so good and full of mercy. He never withholds good from us. What a beautiful thought! Even when we were completely rebellious toward Him He loved us and gave everything to win our love. He is that good! His goodness is never earned - it's free! And it's ours!
How will we respond to this great love? The Bible says that those who have been given an abundance are expected to live generously. "... to whom much is given, much is required..." Luke 12:48 You and I have an abundance of grace given to us by God. We are totally forgiven, unconditionally loved and deeply treasured. Let's live today inspired by that divine kindness and pass it on.
July 25, 2008
Luke 2:25
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
Wow - wouldn't you love to have a bio like that? How great to be considered by God as righteous and devout; living life with the right focus and filled with the Holy Spirit; where do I sign up?
The good news is Christ has made us fully righteous and God has given us the filling of His Spirit as a gift to empower us to live great lives that bring fame to His Name. Only God can provide salvation and power - that's His part. The attributes of devotion and focus are completely up to us. God has given us everything we need to live a life that would warrant an extraordinary bio.
I encourage you today to consider the opportunities and the relationships within your life. Employ everything that God has given you and give them something the write about!
July 19, 2008
Jeremiah 6:16
Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it!
There's an old saying that says "you can't re-invent the wheel". As I consider this verse in Jeremiah I think of that saying. I think of this current culture that longs to find peace on its own terms; as if a new form of salvation could be devised.
We live in a generation that craves unlimited power and possessions. This insatiable lust is a condition that has existed since "the fall" yet man has not learned the inevitable lesson: the human soul is not satisfied with anything in the mortal realm. We are designed to crave the eternal - God has drafted us to require Him. Until we completely surrender to that plan we will constantly be fighting the aching hunger of the flesh.
Don't resist Him; recognize the plan of God and ask Him to show you the eternal way. Then you will find rest and peace for your soul.
July 12, 2008
Proverbs 31:8
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Job 36:15
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.
Last year I was made aware of a terrible crime going on across the globe: its human trafficking. Human trafficking is "the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or sex slavery." (Condoleezza Rice, June 2007 Trafficking In Person's Report).
God's intent for humanity is freedom. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:3) Christ died for our freedom spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically - globally.
For more information on how you can help save people from this crime visit www.Myspace.com/relentlesscampaign or Christine Caine's A21 http://groundfloor.reslife.org/a21.php or you can write to relentlesscampaign@gmail.com
July 7, 2008
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (AMP)
But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you (21st Century KJV)
In a series of devotionals based on love the hallmark verse for all believers is this: Love those who hate you and be good to them. This is really the defining trait of Christians. It's only the character of God in a human being that can enable them to love those that reject them. This is exactly what Christ exemplified on the cross; unconditional love. Human nature cannot pull it off - but we are not our own - we are born of God. God's love is amazingly powerful it can empower us to love everyone.
Whoever fits into the "enemy" category in your life - love them. Believe the best of them; forgive them; lift up your heart to the Father, stretch out your hands and love them.
June 30, 2008
John 17:22&23
I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them as You have loved Me.
"...You love them as much as You love Me" John 17:23 NLT
We have been given so much! Christ has given us the same glory and honor that He received from heaven. Think about that for minute - that's huge! The VERY same glory and honor that is in Jesus Christ is in the heart of His followers. It's through this impartation that we are made able to live in unity with each other. We don't have the ability on our own, but through Him the impossible can become a reality. When we engaged in this promise, surrendering completely to the work of Christ in us, we are lifted above human nature into the nature of God - love. It all begins with the revelation that we are greatly loved. God literally loves us with the same intensity that He loves Christ His Son.
